Every few years we geeks have our own kind of popcorn show to watch: tech companies showing teeth to one another. This time around, it's Palm vs Apple. In all seriousness though, how ethical is the battle around iTunes?

"But I wish we would dispel the myth that iTunes is locked down. At what point is something locked down? iTunes is designed to sync with iPods - they maintain support and compatibility for that feature with iPods only. They don't have the manpower or desire to support other devices.

However, they allow an open pathway for other programs and devices to access the iTunes library information and use it for syncing or other support."

Er...they don't do anything close. They have intentionally introduced a patch to _stop_ the Pre from syncing with iTunes, by refusing to accept its USB ID. This is why Palm have been forced to use an Apple USB ID in the first place. It's not that Apple say "oh, well, we just don't support other devices syncing with iTunes, but if you can make it work, then fine!" - they intentionally ship updates for no purpose other than to _break_ other devices syncing with iTunes. (They also intentionally make it as difficult as possible for any software other than iTunes to work with iPods.)

I still don't see it - iTunes works with iPods. They go hand in hand. iTunes allows for syncing with iPods, so naturally, the software looks for iPods to sync with. Anytime I plug in my iPod or someone else's iPod into my Mac, iTunes pops up. That's good functionality.

However, when I have used iTunes to put mp3 files on other devices, it has worked great too. I can use either one of the great third party apps out there, or just copy the files over my self.

I mean... seriously... when is a copy command such a valuable feature that can't be implemented by another program. Wow... such a barrier to entry!

I still don't see it - iTunes works with iPods. They go hand in hand. iTunes allows for syncing with iPods, so naturally, the software looks for iPods to sync with.

And yet after years of iTunes and years of iPods... the Palm Pre blocking patch only gets put in shortly after the Pre is introduced. Eh, spin-doctor?

I don't have a Pre. I don't have an iPod. I don't have an Apple. And I don't care about iTunes. But it is quite clear what is going on here. The facts speak for themselves. And the spin about "naturally" looking for iPods doesn't change what those facts say. Why didn't it "naturally look for iPods" for all the years previous?